Senate sets aside funds for statewide primary

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has persuaded legislative leaders to put an extra $2.65 million of one-time tax revenues into a statewide presidential primary next year.

Utah will hold the primary on Feb. 5, which may also be the day that a number of larger states, like California, also hold a primary.

Mike Mower, Huntsman's deputy chief of staff and spokesman, says with all the extra cash this year, Huntsman and GOP leaders were able to put the money aside "for this important event."

Just this week, GOP lawmakers decided to put off $220 million in various tax cuts until Jan. 1, 2008.

Originally, lawmakers, who had an extra $1.6 billion in one-time and ongoing tax revenue growth over two years, were going to give the tax cuts in 2007.

By delaying them for months, the state will gain another $146 million extra dollars.

And Tuesday, both the House and Senate GOP caucuses were going to divide up that money into special projects, like the statewide primary.

The primary will cost $3.5 million. The 2006 Legislature put $850,000 aside, but new, and more costly, electronic voting machines must be reprogrammed for the Feb. 5 primary, and other costs pushed up the primary price.